How Kuwait and Iraq were shaped by George H.W. Bush

In August 1990 the Iraqi military invaded neighbouring Kuwait, bombing its capital city and sparking a war that would last six months and result in thousands of deaths. Not long after the invasion, late president George H W Bush spearheaded a US-led intervention against the Iraqi forces and the country’s dictator Saddam Hussein.

The death of the 41st US President on November 30th served to remind of Kuwait’s close relationship with the late president and the United States, as they paid tribute to the man who intervened against Iraq on their behalf.

But across the border, for Iraqi civilians scarred by the coalition’s violent bombing of their country, the image they paint of Bush is very different.

On this week’s episode of Beyond the Headlines, we discuss the lasting legacies of the Republican president in the region.